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Samhain
Samhain: In Wicca and many other forms of Paganism, Samhain (SOW-wen) (Also known as: Halloween, All Hallows Eve, Hallowmas, November Eve, All Saints and All Souls, Feast of Apples, Day of the Dead, and in Spanish Día de los Muertos.) is the start of the new ritual year marking the end of the harvest season. Celebrated on October 31st or November first. It is the most important of the eight major festivals or sabbots of the Wiccan/Pagan year. According to the Wiccan story of the Year Samhain marks the symbolic death of the Sun God and His passing into the Shadowland where He awaits His rebirth to the Mother Goddess at Yule. It is considered to be the time of the year when the veil between the spirit plane and the earthly plain is the thinnest, and the spirits of those who died in the past year are freed to walk the Earth before they enter the Summerland. Cunningham, Scott, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Saint Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1988. 0-87542-118-0 (PB) Associations and Customs Samhain is associated with the colors: black, orange, and indigo, the alter tools: votive candles, magic mirror, cauldron, pumpkins, and divinatory items. It is a time for releasing the old, foreseeing the future, and understanding death and rebirth. Some of the customs connected with Samhain are carving Jack-o’-lanterns, setting out a spirit plate of food to feed the spirits of the dead, setting up an ancestor altar, doing divination, dressing in costumes, and visiting the homes of neighbors to ask for treats. Circle Sanctuary website/Holidays. http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/ At Samhain many Wiccans and Pagans set up an altar in their homes to honor, their loved ones who have died the ancestors. Others place offerings and light a candles on their existing alter. Some follow the ancient tradition of setting a place at the table for spirit friends and relatives, and serving them some of the food and drink from the Samhain feast. Some throw a “Come as You Were” party having everyone dress up as someone from one of their past lives. Setting lighted carved pumpkins around the home to bless it is another common practice. Many make New Year’s resolutions or do divination for the year ahead. Circle Sanctuary website/Holidays. http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/ In many places Samhain is time of the Wild Ride when those who have died in past year are escorted to the underworld. Rabinovich, Shelley and Lewis, James (Eds), Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism New York: Kensington/Citadel, 2002 0-8056-2506-5 HB History Since ancient times, Celtic Pagans have paid their respects to The Ancestors at Samhain. It was the day between the years the marked the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year. It is the traditional time to raise energies of death, rebirth, and transformation. Wiccans and many other Neo-Pagans use Samhain to celebrate rituals departed loved ones, ancestors, and guides in the Spirit World. The Goddess manifests as the Crone and the God as the Horned Hunter and Lord of Death. Cunningham, Scott, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, Saint Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1988. 0-87542-118-0 (PB) Circle Sanctuary website/Holidays. http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/ Sources Category:Sabbat Category:Wheel of the Year